Downtown Man
by LittleMissELC
Summary: Nick's from an abusive lower-class family, attending Dalton on a scholarship. Jeff's family is wealthy and happily together. Two different boys from two different worlds, now living together at Dalton. Contains Abuse & Some Swearing
1. Chapter 1:Prologue

Prologue 

Fourteen year old Nick Duval's eyes ran grudgingly over the dilapidated houses than ran down both sides of his Ashville street as he walked home from school. He'd lived here for all his life, and detested everyday of it. Growing up on a town known only for having the world's oldest traffic light is about as much fun as it. It wasn't.

Nick's middle school was your run-of-the-mill, middle-of-nowhere school. With a population of about 400 kids, Ashville Public Middle School was his own personal branch of hell. He was a nobody there, and not a '_not popular_' kind of nobody, a certified 'I've been in your class every year since kindergarten and I still don't know your last name' nobody. And now Nick was about to graduate from eighth grade, and go to Ashville High where he would once again, be a nobody.

He stopped at his house, a tiny two-story house with windows tinted with dirt and dead bugs. The once pristine yard was now just an organized pile of odd car parts and garbage. Grime caked the white paneling of the house and the tendrils of some kind of vine-like plant snaked over the side of the house. It looked like hell. Not that the interior was much nicer. In each of the house's rooms the paint was peeling off the walls, the air vaguely smelled like boiled cabbage and the was the odd mousetrap underneath the couch. Nick stomped up the front steps of to the door. The hinges screeched in pain as he opened it.

"Nick, is that you?" called his mother as Nick dropped his bag on the floor. "No mom, I'm a robber who just happens to have keys to the front door." he replied gloomily. He took off his shoes and walked into the kitchen. Charlotte Duval stood in front of the stove making what smelled like spaghetti sauce. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled back in a messy bun, her clothes were freshly washed but still crumpled. She put down her sauce-covered spoon and sat down at the small round table from where Nick now sat. "I got a call from your school today." she started with a small smile. "Those are never good words." Nick muttered as he played with the sleeve of his shirt. Mrs. Duval scoffed and smiled at him excitedly, "Why didn't you tell me you're going to be valedictorian, Nick?" He looked up from his arm, muttering, "Because I'm not valedictorian anymore."

She stared at her son for a second, processing his words. "Why? You're a straight-A student. And you worked so hard..." Nick shrugged, "Valedictorian has to give a speech at grad..." His mother sighed in frustration as she finally clued in, "I didn't want to, so I gave it to Madalyn Hart."

"That girl down on Myrtle Street? Why her?"

Nick shrugged again, "Because she's student council president and one of the most popular girls at school." His mom took a sip from her coffee. "Is she cute?" she asked bluntly, not believing his answer. "Not in the least." he deadpanned. Truth be told, Madalyn Hart was a tall, thin girl with straight black hair and blue eyes that could burrow into your soul. But he couldn't let his mother know that.

When Nick was 9 years old, his parents got divorced. At the time, he didn't think much of it. Most of the kids in his class had divorced parents, it wouldn't be a big deal. But then the custody battles came, and his parents moved on with their lives. His dad got remarried to a woman named Laura from Columbus and his mom was had been dating a man named Derrick for almost 3 years now. But Nick hadn't moved on, he felt so lonely. He didn't have any close friends that he could talk to, so he began to focus on his school work to distract himself from the fighting. Next thing you know, he's at the top of his class and still eating alone at lunch.

"But Nicky, you worked so hard. Don't you want to be rewarded for that?" she pried softly. Nick ignored the question. He didn't want a title, or a trophy, or whatever pointless 'prizes' came with the chance. All he wanted a way out of Ashville. A way out of being stuck in his low-life hell-hole called his hometown.

Last summer, Charlotte asked Derrick to move in with them. The two met each other online a year after the divorce, and he quickly won her over with his story of how he beat his alcohol addidiction. For a while, Nick really liked him. He took Nick to local football games and taught him how to hit a home run. Derrick made his mom the happiest woman in the world and for a time, Nick felt he had a family again. Then Derrick fell of the wagon. As Nick and Charlotte had discovered, Derrick was a violent drunk. One night, Derrick had a little too much to drink and got into a fight with Nick's mom. Despite her efforts to calm down her intoxicated boyfriend, Derrick had her pinned to the wall by her shoulders within seconds. "Derrick, please!"she pleaded, tears streaming down her face. Derrick's huge fist crashed into her jaw. Her blood curling scream still echoed in Nick's mind today. A then 10 year old Nick tugged desperately at the hem of Derrick's shirt, "Stop it!" he would cry, "You're hurting her!" The drunken monster swung a long arm at Nick as if he were a mere insect. He knocked Nick clear off his feet, into the coffee table. Derrick drunkenly spit in the general direction of Nick's sobs. Charlotte grabbed Derrick's jaw, forcefully pulling his face back to her. "Hey, don't look at him. Look at me." she tried. With a crushing blow to the temple, Charlotte collapsed onto the dirty floor. She wasted no time, she darted over to where Nick huddled behind the coffee table. She pulled him back to his feet, and hurried him towards his bedroom.

"Go into your room Nick! And don't come out until I come get you...!" she instructed quickly. Derrick reared up behind them, grabbing Charlotte by her hair. Another scream. Sobbing madly and running as fast as his adolescent legs would take him, Nick slammed his door shut behind him. He crawled weakly onto his bed and spent the remainder of the night weeping into his pillow and trying to block out the screaming and banging from the living room.

The next morning, Derrick woke up with a hangover, and her with a black eye. He'd spent the better part of the day on his knees apologizing, and she, being the borderline saint that she was, forgave him at once. He promised her that it would never happen again. But it did, less than a month later. And again, a week later. And again, the next day. Eventually, he just stop apologizing. And that's the way it stayed. For two years. Now it was a regular occurrence for Nick and his mom to wake up with a scar or two and a couple bruises.

One late July morning, after Derrick had another one of his 'episodes', Mrs. Duval handed Nick a pale yellow envelope in the mail, addressed to him. "I knew you hid my Hogwarts acceptance letter in fifth grade." Nick joked, taking the letter. His mother laughed quietly as she shuffled through the growing pile of bills. He read the address on the front.

"Hey mom? What's Dalton Academy?" he asked, getting up from the table. His mom looked up from her mail, "Its a private school over in Westerville. Your cousin Thomas just graduated from there."His eyebrows knitted together, he gingerly opened the envelope and read it out loud.

_"Dear Mr. Nicolas Duval,_  
><em>We are please to inform you that the Admissions Board here at Dalton Academy has been told of your academic record, and we are most impressed..."<em>

His mother listened to every word Nick read, but didn't look up.

_"As you may know, Dalton Academy is one of most highly respected private schools in the country. We pride ourselves in the fact that many of our graduating students go on to Ivy League Schools, pursuing and achieving careers such as doctors, lawyers, judges, physicists, professors and future leaders of America. We at Dalton Academy, feel that you have earned the opportunity to become one of those students..."_

Mrs. Duval's head sprang straight up at his words, as Nick continued to read off the page.

_"We are prepared to offer you a full scholarship for your first year at Dalton. This would include room and board, the price of five sets of school uniforms, your required textbooks, and payment for joining extracurricular activities. Furthermore, as long as you maintain acceptable grades, we encourage you to reapply for your scholarship next year, so that you may continue with your stay at Dalton. We look forward to your reply via the enclosed applications, and we hope to see you in the new school year._

_All the best,_  
><em>The Admissions Board of Dalton Academy."<em>

Nick was in complete shock. He couldn't feel his legs. His hands shook the letter violently. His heart pounded in his chest. His mother ran around the room and hugged him tightly, almost knocking him over in the process. "Oh my gosh!" she cried, wiping joyous tears off her face. "Nicky, I'm so proud of you!" She kissed the top of Nick's shell shocked face.

The low thumping of wobbly footsteps came from the upper floor. Down the stairs came the eternally hungover body of Derrick. The man held his fingers to his temples and winced and the noise. "Ugh, what's with all the yelling down here? My head is killing me." he groaned.

Nick's mom ran over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Derrick! Derrick, you won't believe this! Nick's got into a private school in Westerville! A full scholarship! I can't believe it!" "What are you talking about, Char?" he blinked at her, "A scholarship to where, some special ed school?"

"Dalton Academy!" she sighed dreamily, not ignoring the his words. "A boarding school for amazing boys like my son!" she hugged Nick again. "So, what does this mean?" Derrick asked, still rubbing his temples.

Nick still stood in the middle of the kitchen like a living statue. He shaking remembered how to speak, "It means I'm leaving Ashville."

* * *

><p>So...that's the prologue. It might not be very good now, but it won't be long until the first chapter is up. I've been planning this story for a while now and Tumblr is a never ending source of inspiration. So stay tuned for more! Less than 36!<br>Love Always,

~ELC

P.S. If there are any readers out there who live in or near Ashville, Ohio, I apologize in advance for my portrayal of the town.

I have never been there myself, I just chose the town because I thought the traffic light story was cute!


	2. Chapter 2:Departure to Dalton

Chapter 2

Two weeks before school started, Nick's uniforms arrived at his house. The carrier handed Nick the white square box without a word, which Nick was grateful for; conversation would only prolong the carrier's being here, and then he might notice how Derrick had broken into the beer in the fridge again. Nick took the box straight up to his room, taking every precaution not to alert Derrick of his presence. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Nick lifted the lid off the box, gazing at the large Dalton emblem on it. For a moment he just stared at the blue blazer in the box, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that was his future.

He tried on the uniform, and wondered around his room blindly as he attempted to tie his tie. When he finally got it right, he stepped in front of his dusty mirror. The boy that stared back at Nick was not his reflection. It was that of some other boy who could actually afford to attend a private school with a uniform like this one. Nick ran his hands over the soft material at the jacket. This is really happening, he thought, I'm not dreaming anymore, this is really real.

Nick gasped at the sound of pounding in the hall. Derrick. Normally Nick would have blocked the door with his dresser so he couldn't get in, but this time Derrick burst in before Nick had the chance.

Derrick literally threw the door open, and it crashed into the wall behind it loudly, undoubtedly leaving dents in the already peeling paint. Nick spun around quickly, something he learned from all the years of Derrick's drinking was to never turn your back to him. Nick caught a glimpse of the newly opened bottle in his hand, Derrick most have had at least three by now. Derrick's bloodshot eyes landed on Nick' clothes.

"Well, well, well," slurred the drunken beast, "Is the little fairy playing dress-up?" He wobbled his way over to Nick. The boy looked up at him, knees locking together silently. "It's my uniform," Nick stammered, "For my new school." He took a few steps away for Derrick, crashing his back into the wall.

"Oh yeah, gay Hogwarts."Derrick took a quick swig from his bottle, "But guess what, Nancy boy? Hogwarts ain't real." He grabbed Nick's throat with one of his enormous hands. Choking him. Dirty nails slicing his skin. Nick struggled against it, desperate for air. "Go to hell..." he gasped. Derrick smirked at the boy as his face turned red. He leaned forward so that he rasped right into Nick's ear. "You're already there, you little shit."

Derrick raised his beer bottle above Nick and poured the warm liquid onto the boy's head. Nick tried to shake it off, but Derrick's hand rendered him still. "Get used to it," he growled, "Nothing's going to change there. You can't escape this."

* * *

><p>For a while Derrick was wrong. Nick managed to escape Ashville for 20 whole months over his first two years at Dalton.<p>

The transition from middle school to high school was hard enough, but adjusting to the rapid classes of Dalton was one of the most challenging things Nick had ever have to do. Within his first week alone, he was already doing homework past 11 at night. Not that he minded something to focus on. And besides, he needed to keep his grades up in order to stay in Dalton and out of Ashville.

In his freshman year, Nick stayed in a single dorm room. He liked the fact the privacy that came with it, but just like in Ashville, he was lonely. Then this year, he was in a double room, but his assigned roommate had not shown up all Nick made a deal with himself; if he managed to keep all of his grades above 75%, he could join the school's glee club. The Dalton Academy Warblers. It was there that Nick met his now good friend, Trent.

Trent refers to himself the "Sassy Warbler" and if you were with him for more than an hour, you'd see why. Trent had two sisters, twins, a year and a half older than him and Nick. He'd spent most of his life with them, and after their mother died, he moved into their new apartment so he could transfer schools. Hannah, the older of the twins, used to be in community theatre productions when she was a teenager and she always brought Trent along to rehearsals where he spent hours bonding with the crew. One time, Trent wondered up to the balcony above the stage and watched the entire show from up there. He told Hannah that he felt like the Phantom of the Opera looking down on them.

They were good friends, but Nick still felt like he had built a wall around his heart and fir some reason, he knew that Trent wasn't going to be the one to tear it down. So, he kept certain things secret from the other Warblers. Things like how he lied to his mother and told her that he was only allowed off campus on holidays instead of every weekend. Or like how he only ever wore long-sleeve shirts because the skin of his pale arms was painted with overlapping layers of black and blue bruises. Or like how he forced himself to stay up until one every night because he needed to study.

Nick's entire life at Dalton became on cycle of shelter, there was rarely a moment when Nick wasn't studying in his room, singing with the Warblers,in class or sleeping. Perhaps he liked it better that way, solitude was safe, and safety was the only thing he needed right now.

One day during Warbler practice, Nick was sitting on the common room couch with his History textbook on his lap, writing notes for their end of the unit exam of World War One in two weeks. His eyes darted back and forth between the pages of the book as he vaguely listened to the group of Warblers talking excitedly behind him.

"No way, he's finally back?" asked one voice  
>"Starts class in the morning, but he's coming by to see us again." said another.<br>"Where's he been anyway?"  
>"Florida, I think. Vacation."<p>

_"Focus Nick,"_ he instructed himself,_ "the first world war began in 1914 when..."_

"He told me he got bitten by an alligator, and needed like 14 stitches." They were growing louder and harder to ignore. A swarm of high school boys gossiping like old ladies, waiting for the thick wooden door to open was a rare sight, but Nick didn't want to see a glimpse or hear a whisper of it. When the door finally creaked open, a roar of greetings erupted from the group. Shutting his book in frustration, Nick craned his neck around to see what could possibly be so fascinating.

In the open doorway, the whirlpool of Warblers surrounded a tall, thin boy with straight blonde hair and twinkling brown eyes. The boy orbited around the circle of boys, giving each one a quick hug. "God, I've missed you guys." the boy let out as the crowd returned to barraging him with questions. With a huff, Nick pushed himself off of the couch and stood the outskirts of the mob of Warblers. Admittedly, he did stand up on his toes to get another look at the boy, but his bobbing blonde hair was the only thing visible. Eventually, Nick's neck grew tired of the straining, and he just waited for the mob to disperse. After the informal interview had died down, Trent came out of the blue, pulling the unfamiliar blonde by the arm.

"And this..." he began, stepping aside so the blonde could face Nick. "This is our newest Warbler, Nick Duval. Nick, this is Jeff Sterling. He's a returning Warbler and your new roommate." Nick blinked at Trent's words, the roommate that never was had arrived. Jeff smiled and extended a warm hand out to Nick, "Nice to meet you Nicky, welcome to Warblerland." His eyes twinkled with the enticement in the room. Nick took his hand, "Welcome back to Warblerland." he tried to smile, but a pull in his stomach made but anxious, maybe it was the fact that Jeff was a good four inches taller than him, or how he just drops in when he wanted to Nick's haven of a school, or maybe it was just how inhumanly happy Jeff was. But was it a negative feeling? Perhaps, it was a nervous hope that Jeff could be his first _real_ friend since he was 10. Either way one thing was very clear to Nick, things were about to get very interesting.

* * *

><p>There's the second chapter! I basically just wanted to set up Nick's life at Dalton before I get too far away from it. I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews and subscriptions! Feel free to click the little 'Review' Button below. And stay tuned for more chapters. Less than 36!<p>

Love Always,  
>~ELC<p>


	3. Chapter 3:Fear of Falling

Chapter 3

"So tell me about yourself, Nicky." Jeff opened has he put the last of his clothes in the shared closet. Nick tensed, he wasn't much of a talker, that's why he worked well Trent; he had twice the personality of Nick but enjoyed having someone to listen to him. Nick started to speak cautiously, "What do you want to know?" Jeff shrugged, "I don't know, just tell me one thing you think I should know about you."

"I don't like being called Nicky." the brunette deadpanned, walls building up around his voice. Jeff looked apologetic, "Got it, no Nicky." Jeff walked over to his bed, he sat down in the mattress and pulled a framed photograph out of his suitcase. In it was a line of people with Jeff's bright blonde hair, all smiling brightly and wearing numbered shirts that Nick had seen in ads for Disney World, Jeff's donned the words 'Thing 6'. "My family." Jeff clarified, "We went to Disney for my parents' anniversary. 25 years." Nick nodded in brief jealousy, "My parents didn't even make 10."

"I'm sorry."

Nick shrugged off his sympathy, is not like it was Jeff's fault. People always did that, it was like they thought the very mention of his parents' divorce would trigger some kind of emotional break down.

Jeff quickly turned back to his bag and taped several more photographs onto the wall. One of him and what Nick presumed to be his brother wearing grey and scarlet stripped sweaters, another brother wearing a graduation cap and gown, a third holding a shinning white electric guitar, a lithe blonde girl sitting proudly on Jeff's shoulders. Finally, out came a black framed picture of a petite red haired girl with fiery hazel eyes. She wore a knee-length black dress with a thin purple ribbon around the waistline. Jeff's arms wrapped around her waist, wearing a suit jacket and a tie that matched the ribbon. Both of them smiled brightly at the camera.

"That your girlfriend?" Nick asked half interested. Jeff turned to Nick, then to the photo, then back to Nick, "No, she's...um...she's a story that's best saved for later." His eyes darted in every direction but Nick's. Nick dropped the subject, not wanting to get too personal too soon. They were going to be roommates for the rest of the year, best not to get on each other's nerves right off the bat.

But sadly, that's just what happened.

Within their first week of living together, ran into several problems and minor arguments. Nick's study intense study habits needed his light on until midnight, which lead to Jeff losing hours of sleep every night. Jeff was a morning person and enjoyed singing rock songs at the top of his lungs in the shower. Nick's obsessive need to keep everything clean and organizes just plain annoyed Jeff who had a growing pile of dirty laundry at the foot of his bed. And Jeff was constantly coming and going from the dorm room, going out with the Warblers at all hours of the night, the boy never said no to entertainment; if could hear it, watch it, meet it, sing it, play it, attend it or even be there to experience it, Jeff would be there.

* * *

><p>"I'm serious guys," Jeff gripped to David one afternoon before Warbler practice, "The dude never leaves the room, he's always telling me to turn off my music, I can't get to sleep before 1 am because he never turns the light off. I think I've lost 30 hours of sleep since I met the guy!"<p>

David rolled his eyes, he'd known about Nick's little habits since last year when their dorm rooms were adjacent to each other. The bald boy nodded apathetically at the blonde, "Yeah, I know. The dude's a machine, he lives on an air tight schedule. I'm actually surprised he joined the Warblers. He's not really the social type. I don't think he left school at all last year."

"That's not true," Trent interjected, hearing than conversation from the other side of the room, "He went home for Christmas last year. I saw his mother pick him up."

"Yeah, but that was on the last day of class. Most of the school left days before that." replied David. Trent raised from his spot on the couch and joined the boys at the wooden table, "He said that he wasn't going anywhere special for the holiday so he could wait longer to get picked up." Jeff drummed his callused fingers at the useless information, "I don't care about his vacation plans! I want to know how to get him off my case."

"How about an anti-depressant?" Trent chirped, "When my aunt got divorced she got these little blue pills that perk her right up. We pick up some from the Westerville pharmacy, put them in his food, and boom, happy Nicky."

"We are not going to drug him." David said sternly.

"And he doesn't like being called Nicky..." Jeff added under his breath.

"What about taking him out of Dalton?" David suggested, Jeff raised his head at the surprisingly logical idea, "I mean, maybe if he cut lose a little, he'll stop being so uptight."

"So, you want me to ask him out?" Jeff blinked.

"Not in so many words," Trent chuckled, "Just take him to a concert or something. Isn't your brother's band playing on Friday?"

"Yeah, he's in this battle of the bands at Cesario's."

"Perfect! Take him with you, introduce him to the guys, let him live a little."

Jeff stood up, moving quickly to build up adrenaline and courage. "Alright, I'll do it," he grabbed the cup of coffee out off David hand. He took a shot style gulp as he swaggered towards the doorway, throwing the now empty cup over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Nick twiddled his pen in his hand as he reread his history notes for what may very well might be the 20th time. His history teacher, Mr Cazno, had announced last minute that there would be an test on the first World War on Monday morning. So now, Nick was bombarding himself with notes.<p>

_The Treaty of Versailles states... _

"Hey Nick!" called Jeff as he burst through the dorm room door. Nick closed his eyes slowly, trying to hide the annoyance that came with the blonde's interruption. Fortunately, Jeff didn't notice.

"How'd would you like to go a concert with me?" Jeff smiled openly.

Nick shut his notebook and stared blankly at Jeff, "Are you asking me out?"

"Not in so many words," Jeff jumped onto the words, "Okay look, my brother's band is playing at restaurant called Cesario's this weekend. They're in this competition and I promised I would go watch. And I think you should come with us. It'll be fun, and you need to get out once and a while."

"I don't think so Jeff, we have that history test on Monday and I need to study." Nick shook his head, trying to turn back to his book. Jeff plopped himself onto the bed beside Nick's outstretched legs.

"Look," he pulled the notebook out of Nick's hands, "I am willing bet that you can go out tonight and still get a 80 on that test."

Nick cocked an eyebrow, "And if I don't?"

"Then I will never ask you out ever again." Jeff held out his hand. Nick stared at it, contemplating. Challenge considered. Then he took Jeff's hand and shook it. Challenge accepted.

* * *

><p>Jeff and Nick arrived at Cesario's about an hour before the battle actually began so they could have time to talk to the guys before they went onstage. Nick tugged on the long sleeve of his sweater as he followed Jeff inside. Cesario's was a small, modern building that looked part family restaurant, part teen nightclub. The owner, Cesario Kelly, was one of those grown men who still thought they were 20 years old and on top of the world. He'd opened the restaurant with Jeff's uncle Paul in the late 1990's and now own the busiest place of entertainment for anyone between the ages of 13 and 19.<p>

"Nick, I'd like you to meet the greatest band in all of Ohio, Seven of Spades. Lead my brother Johnny here. Bro, this is Nick." Johnny was an inch or two shorter than Jeff, with shaggy blonde hair that fell in wavy over his forehead. "Nice to meet you, man." Johnny grinned, "And you're Jeff's..."

"Roommate. At Dalton." Nick answered. "Oh," Johnny said quietly,"Well, come on, I'll introduce you to the guys." The Dalton boys followed Johnny over to another two boys, one tuning a bass guitar and one drumming in his knee. Their heads sprang up at Jeff."Hey man," perked the brunette with the sticks,"Who's your..."

"Roommate." Johnny informed him before the brunette could introduce himself, "Meet Nick."

The boys nodded their heads slowly, "Oh,"

Jeff spoke up again, "Nick, this is Matt on lead guitar on Dylan on drums."

The five newly acquainted boys chummed around as the Spades finished setting up. About an hour later, Cesario's was packed with what seemed like every teenager in the state. A Wannabe-Metallica band of six was up first. They kind of sucked. Actually, screw the kinda. "We got this!" Jeff shouted to Nick over the deafening crowd. With every off-key note the band played, more and more fists pumped into the air. Nick had to cross his arms and duck just to avoid taking one to the head.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw a blonde head shove itself through the crowd, "Jeff! You gotta come with me!" Johnny called over the blaring excuse for music. Johnny grabbed his brother firmly by the arm, "Matt had a panic attack or something, we need you to go on for him!" Jeff's eyes widened, but he nodded quickly and altered Nick of where why he was going. Standing alone in the sea of sweaty teenagers, Nick waited for the Spades (and Jeff) to come on stage.

Eventually, the announcer took the microphone and introduction, "And now ladies and gentlemen, please our final band of the night, Seven of Spades!" The crowd roared as the boys came out onto the stage. Johnny came up to the center mic and spoke to the crowd, "Hey guys! Great to be back here. As you might notice, our boy Matt isn't here. Truth be told, he a little under the weather right now, so my brother is going to fill in for him." Jeff waved his guitar at the crowd, who let out a collective "Whoo" as a welcome.

The Spades began playing, Nick uncrossed his arms in and tried to nod his head to the music in an attempt to let loose. It felt unnatural, moving like this. Moving without a care or worry or reason. Johnny started singing.

_On the other side of a street I knew_  
><em> Stood a girl that looked like you<em>  
><em> I guess that's déjà vu<em>  
><em> I thought this can't be true<em>  
><em> 'Cause you moved to west LA<em>  
><em> Or New York or Santa Fe<em>  
><em> Or wherever to get away from me<em>

He was actually pretty good. Maybe not _International Rock Star _good, but definitely talented. Johnny tossed his head toward Jeff, signalling him to take it away.

_Oh, but that one night_  
><em> Was more than just right<em>  
><em> I didn't leave you 'cause I was all through<em>  
><em> Oh, I was overwhelmed and frankly scared as hell<em>  
><em> Because I really fell for you<em>

Nick's eyes widened at Jeff's voice. It was confident and slick and harmonized perfectly with Johnny's as they conquered the chorus together. Nick couldn't tear his eyes away from Jeff. The blonde boy danced along with the music, twisting his hips so they hit off the back of the guitar. He jumped unknowingly in front of one of the spotlights. His blonde hair illuminated like a halo, physically matching his angelic voice.

_Oh, I swear to you_  
><em> I'll be there for you<em>  
><em> This is not a drive by<em>  
><em> Just a shy guy looking for a two-ply<em>  
><em> Hefty bag to hold my love<em>  
><em> When you move me everything is groovy<em>  
><em> They don't like it sue me<em>  
><em> Oh, the way you do me<em>  
><em> Oh, I swear to you<em>  
><em> I'll be there for you<em>  
><em> This is not a drive by<em>

_ Please believe that when I leave_  
><em> There's nothing up my sleeve but love for you<em>  
><em> And a little time to get my head together too<em>

The audience, and surprisingly enough Nick, clapped along with the rhythm. The Spades never missed a beat, a note, or an adoring cheer. The atmosphere was electric, there wasn't a still body in the room, the world seem in slow motion, for a moment, Nick thought he was on some kind of hallucinogenic.

_ On the other side of a street I knew_  
><em> Stood a girl that looked like you<em>  
><em> I guess that's déjà vu<em>  
><em> But I thought this can't be true<em>  
><em> 'Cause<em>

_Oh I swear to you_  
><em> I'll be there for you<em>  
><em> This is not a drive by<em>  
><em> Just a shy guy looking for a two-ply<em>  
><em> Hefty bag to hold my love<em>  
><em> When you move me everything is groovy<em>  
><em> They don't like it sue me<em>  
><em> Mmm the way you do me<em>  
><em> Oh I swear to you<em>  
><em> I'll be there for you<em>  
><em>This is not a drive by<em>

The song finished strong and a tidal wave of applause erupted from the audience. Johnny and Jeff put down their guitars and Dylan his drumsticks. The three formed a line on the edge of the stage, and took a bow. Then Johnny grabbed Jeff's forearm and threw it into the air. The crowd gave another round of applause. Nick cried especially loud. The strange sound of his friend's cheering reached Jeff's ear. He searched the crowd until his eyes landed on Nick's beaming face. Jeff returned the joyous smile by tossing a wink to Nick.

Something in Nick's chest leaped into the air.

_What the heck? _Nick thought to himself, _What was that?_

Jeff smiled brightly at him.

_Oh my God, _Nick's pounding heart suddenly stopped cold, _I'm falling for him._

* * *

><p>First off, I am so sorry I haven't updated in like a month, I've had the worst writer's block. Well, that's not true. I've come up with premises for like 3 new stories, like one I really want to start writing is a Newsies!Niff story called "Banner Boys", I couldn't just sit down and work on this one.<p>

Also, I'm sorry that I missed Tumblr's Niff Week and Dalton's Prom, that's really what made me notice how long I was gone.

Please leave me review! Your feedback is literally the best thing about writing fanfiction. Less than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC

P.S. Who saw on Twitter today that Curt Mega writes X-men Fanfiction? I was fangirling all over place!


	4. Chapter 4:Not in Ashville Anymore

Chapter 4

_You can do this,_ Nick thought to himself outside his dorm room. He stood with his back against the wall of the hallway, mentally cursing himself for how low he'd sunken. Ever since the battle of the bands last month, Nick simply couldn't stop thinking about that moment where Jeff had made his heart stop._ Just go in there. Just don't look at his face. Or his hair. Or him. Just breathe and keep all conversation to a minimum. _Collecting one last courageous breath, Nick pushed himself off the wall and reached for the door knob. He turned it quickly and entered before his hesitations could reenter his head. Jeff was lying on his bed on his stomach, already changed into regular clothes. He looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at Nick. "Hey man." he greeted warmly.

Nick froze, distracted by the fact that the hem of Jeff's shirt raised up enough to show off a strip of smooth skin above his waist. For a long moment, Nick could just stare at the exposed flesh. But then he remembered the paper in his hand. In an effort to tear his attention away from Jeff's waist, Nick crossed hastily the room to his bed, "I got my history test back." he said, holding up the paper. Jeff rolled onto his side, "Well don't just leave me hanging here, let me see."

Nick turned around to hand him the returned test and instantly his eyes honed in on more if Jeff's skin. When the blonde boy had rolled over, his shirt moved with him, now toned muscles were poking out from below the black fabric. Desperately trying to divert his gaze, Nick handed Jeff the completed test. "Way to go man, 81. I knew you could do it." Jeff continued to carry on about his victory, but most of it never reached Nick's ears. He did however catch the line, "Maybe we should hang out again."

"Yes!" Nick said a little too quickly for someone who's _not_ falling for the first real friend he'd ever had. Jeff's head cocked at Nick's sudden enthusiasm. "I mean," Nick racked his brain fir an excuse, "It wasn't as bad as I thought. I actually had fun and I'd love to do to again." God, he could feel his entire body redden. "Well, in that case," Jeff smiled, "How about coming to my place this weekend? Johnny'll be there and I know he'd love see you again."

"Sounds great." Nick smiled.

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><p>It wasn't a very long ride from Dalton to Jeff's house in the Blacklit Estates, but looking out the huge and well-kept houses suddenly made Nick feel very far from home. "Alright Nick, this is it." Jeff said as he and Nick stepped out of the car. Nick's jaw dropped to the ground. Jeff's 'house' was nothing short of a colonial-style mansion; it was easily 3 stories tall with a wrap-around porch. There were white frames around every window, matching the doors on the three car garage. The enire outside of the house was pristine. Every hedge and every blade of grass was perfectly even.<p>

"You live here?" Nick asked in amazement as the three boys walk up the small staircase to the front doors. Jeff nodded but kept his eyes on the steps.

"Hey mom, we're back!" called Johnny as he opened the front door and stepped into a living room straight out of _Better Homes and Gardens_, "And we brought someone with us." The sound of stilettos on marble tile came from around the corner. A statuesque blonde woman came out to greet them. Her hair was perfectly styled in a french braid and her light blue dress swayed around her knees as she walked. She smiled warmly at Nick with the same eyes as her sons. "You must be Nick," she chimed, "Jeff's told me so much about you, I feel like we've already met." Nick cleared his throat nervously, "It's nice to meet you Mrs Sterling."

"Oh, no need to be so formal, Nick. Call me Olivia. Also I hope your hungry, I didn't know what you like so I made, well, everything."

"It's true," Johnny whispered with a smirk, "Mom's got a bit of an addictive personality. Why do you think she had so many kids?"

Jeff playfully smacked his brother's head, to which Johnny made a leap for Jeff's head, forcing his hand over it until it stuck out in every imaginable direction. Jeff let out a dramatic gasp as he tried to smooth down his hair, much to Nick and Johnny's amusement. Olivia just shook her head and laughed, "Speaking of your brothers," she spoke over her sons' laughter, "They'll be here by 6. Why don't you guys go get settled? Just mind your sister." Jeff nodded, and turned his attention to Nick, "Come on man, I'll take you to the pool house." The Sterling brothers led Nick across the house to the back yard, where a pool the size of the Atlantic ocean glimmered at them. Just beyond the blue waters was a pool house with huge wall-to-wall windows.

"We used to use it as a storage unit," Jeff told him, "But ever since Joe and Jackson left, we moved all the stuff into their old rooms." Johnny joined in the story, "Nowadays the Spades practice there. And we totally pimped it out; we got a TV in there, a mini-fridge, stereo, Wi-Fi, an Xbox, couches, a place to sleep. The only thing it doesn't have is a bathroom."

Within ten minutes, the boys had begun a three-way Halo war, which Johnny was currently dominating. Jeff pounded on the little buttons as Johnny hit him with a plasma grenade, Nick sought his revenge and shot him with a machine gun. The boys screamed wildly at every victory and defeat, they didn't even here the door open.

"I think you guys were in the exact same place when I left 3 months ago." commented the entering boy, he was taller and more had muscle than Jeff and Johnny, but he had the trademark platinum blonde hair. The younger Sterling brothers leaped over the back of the black leather couch and attacked the incoming blonde.

"Although, I don't think I know think I know this one." He extended an hand to Nick, "I'm Jackson. And you are?" he asked politely. "Nick. Duval." he introduced, "I'm a friend your brothers."

"I can see that. Well, Nick, you must be pretty special if they already let you into the House of Spades."

"He's something alright." Jeff laughed and nodded fondly, "Hey, is Joey home yet?"

_Joey? There's another one?_ Nick thought, _What are we on now, four of them?_

Jeff and Johnny began towards the house, momentarily leaving Nick with Jackson. The taller boy shook his head and chuckled, "You had no idea he was this crazy, did you?" Nick's face must have been pressed into a permanent look of confusion. "No, no."Nick struggled, "I just wasn't aware that there were four of him."

"Five."

"What?"

"There's five of us; there's Joey, myself, Johnny, Jeff, and Jenny." Jackson grinned. Nick blinked him. Jackson laughed at his panic the dumbfounded brunette,"Come on, dinner's probably ready by now."

* * *

><p>So, I kind of wanted to show a little bit of Jeff's life, and I'll give you a little more about all the Sterling family members in the next chapter because quite frankly, I spent <strong>way<strong> too much time thinking up biographies for each one during the planning of this fic. Also, I should be able to write chapters more quickly now because I just completed my other story _Through Other Eyes _(which was 34,000 words long, so if you like this story hang on because it could go on for a while). Plus we're getting closer to more Niff action in the next few chapters. Less Than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC

P.S. If you can decode the phrase "Less than 36" in your review I will dedicate the next chapter to you (more than one winner is even better)!


	5. Chapter 5:Sleepless Sterling Nights

A very special congratulations to _numberonefemalediva _and _LittleBrantcroft_ who successfully decoded the phrase **Less than 36**! As promised, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to you two! Thank you all so much for playing and reviewing and reading. (The full explanation is in the Author's Note at the bottom!)

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

There is only one word that could possibly describe dinner with the Sterlings, and that word is full. Full conversations from full hearts and full plates leading to full stomachs. Olivia had not lied, nearly every inch of the mahogany dinning table was holding a plate of expertly prepared food. Just sitting there, listening to the stories, Nick had learned so much about each of them.

Olivia Winston grew in Port Adams California, one of those gated communities where your value as a human being has a dollar sign in front it. And she went to university in Ohio and now has a degree in business, which she used to create her own jewelry line. Her then boyfriend now husband, Drew Sterling, had recently been promoted to vice president of his father's car dealership and proposed to her. Two years later they had Joseph, who was now attending law school in Detroit. He was the textbook example of a law student; clean-cut, ironed clothes, neatly brushed dark blonde hair.

Jackson, the second oldest, plays running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes and majoring in English Literature at the same time. He was easily the fittest of the family, his hair was as dark as Joseph's, but it was wavy like Johnny, who was three years younger than him. Johnny and Jeff were born to be rock stars; a brother team of lead vocals and guitar. Johnny was the shortest of the brothers, between him and Jeff alone there was a 4-inch difference. Jeff was the substitute everything for the Spades; bassist, singer, guitar, drummer, he could even set up and take down the Spades' entire stage in four minutes flat. And finally, there was Jenny. The youngest Sterling and only girl. With curly blonde hair and ice blue eyes, she was a knockout, but she clearly didn't know that._ Although_, Nick pondered, _Wearing a skirt might not come naturally to a girl with four older brothers._

By the time dinner was over, and the mountain of food swallowed, Nick was full of a blissful joy and and subtle jealousy, because while the Sterlings had accepted him with literally open arms, he was left with the bitter truth that this was not his family.

* * *

><p>"Alright, that's enough." Johnny announced as he put down his controller and stretched his arms over his head. It was almost one in the morning, a silver half moon had risen in the clear sky and was shinning down through the sun roof of the pool house. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, alright guys." Johnny said with a smirk, echoing Olivia's previous instructions. Jeff laughed tiredly and threw a pillow at his brother, "Probably a good idea," he groggily lifted himself from the couch, "I'm gonna get changed, we'll just crash here tonight."<p>

Nick's half opened eyes followed Jeff as he trudged after Johnny. Nick picked up the bag he brought his pajamas in, and took out the spare shirt. He cast his eyes through the windows to make sure that Jeff wouldn't come back and see him. Seeing that the coast was clear, Nick pulled off his black sweater and T-shirt. The layers of overlapping scars and bruises stung at the contact with the cold air of the pool house. He looked down at them in disgusted and pity, remembering the stories behind each one. He shook his head violently, trying to rid his mind of the memories. Quickly, he threw the second shirt over his head and pulled the sweater on top. He threw off his jeans and stepped into his plaid cotton pants.

Nick tucked the bag away and stepped towards the bed. Wait, Nick suddenly froze, We're going to have to share the bed. The thought of sleeping next to (but not with) Jeff made beads of sweat rise to the back of his neck. He could hear Jeff's approaching the pool house door, Nick's mind snapped into blind actions. Quickly, and slightly frantic, Nick crawled onto the bed and tucked himself under the blankets, trying to stay as close to the edge as possible.

His eyes shot up as Jeff stepped back inside, the blonde boy wore only a pair of faded grey sweat pants. "You cold or something?" Jeff asked, eyeing Nick wearing his sweater to bed. Nick just nodded, afraid to look at the shirtless boy. He knew that the second his gaze hit Jeff's chest, he would not be able to tear himself away. Jeff silently made his way over to the bed and plopped himself into a relaxed position. When he had declared himself comfortable enough, Jeff reached over to the lamp on the bedside table, "Good night, Nick." he yawned as he turned off the light. "Good night, Jeff." he returned in a hallow whisper. Nick rolled himself onto his side, facing away from Jeff. The blonde stirred, "Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah?"

Jeff smiled in the darkness, "Thanks for coming over. It means a lot to me."

Nick could feel his body becoming flustered and warm, he was suddenly very thankful for the lack of light. "Well, thanks for inviting me. Actually, I wouldn't mind doing this again sometime."

"Soon." Jeff said solemnly, reaching over and patting Nick's shoulder, "Maybe every weekend from now on."

"Sounds good to me." Nick said, silently melting under the contact of Jeff's hand.

* * *

><p>The digital clock on the table read 2:36. Nick had been staring at it for the better part of an hour. He remained curled up in an uncomfortable ball, waiting for Jeff to fall asleep. It wasn't until Jeff's breathing had become the only sound the room that Nick rolled over and faced him.<br>Jeff looked so serene when he slept, the kind of serenity that only comes from falling asleep in paradise and knowing the world will be just as peaceful when you wake up. Jeff laid on his back, with his head turned toward Nick. His chest calmly raised and lowered with each breath.

After a brief moment, Nick felt his hand move by itself, moving closer to Jeff's face. _What are you doing?_ Every part of Nick's mind was screaming at him to retract his hand. But they had developed a mind of their own; and their mind wanted to walk their way over to Jeff. The pads of his fingers were mere centimeters away from Jeff's jaw, but they still wanted closer. Slowly, almost painfully slowly, Nick's fingers lowered themselves and gingerly touched the smooth skin of Jeff's face, trailing up his jawline and up to his cheek. He cupped the side of his face, and played with the loose strands of blonde hair that fell over his forehead. The softness of his skin was addicting, it enticed him to get closer, it beckoned him to spend the rest of the night just lying here next to him, feeling the heavenly layer of heat the came from Jeff's body. His hand traveled lower, to the nap of Jeff's neck, to his smooth, taut chest and along his long arms. Nick took the sleeping boy's hand in his own. Taking even more of a chance, he scooted closer to Jeff, joining him in the middle of the bed.

Nick placed Jeff's hand on his own face, his cheek fit perfectly in the palm of Jeff's hand. His face was only inches away from Jeff's, it would take so little effort just to reach over and... no. _What if he wakes up? _Nick thought critically, _I'll tell you what will happen, he_'_ll be creeped out and then you can say bye-bye to any chance of friendship with this guy. _Nick sighed heavily, but he was close enough that his breath actually moved Jeff's hair. _He's too good to lose, you idiot. Don't screw this up!_

He knew that the voice in his head was right, a little rude, but right. From now on, Nick needed to do everything he could to keep Jeff around. He needed to impress Jeff, needed to show him that he wasn't the total loser he felt like. From now on, Jeff is everything.

Nick shifted a little under the blanket, but kept Jeff's hand on him. He cast his eyes one more time to the sleeping boy beside him. He closed his eyes and whispered peacefully, "Good night, Jeff. I love you."

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><p>To be totally truthful, I couldn't wait to start writing this chapter. One of my favourite parts in the planning of this story was the creation of the Sterling Siblings; I based them loosely off of R5 family (codeword: loosely) and off the greatest family I ever read; the Weasley family. Even their roles kind of match; Joseph is Bill (with the occasional Percy moment), Jackson is Charlie (adventurous, athletic, kind of hot), Johnny and Jeff are similar to Fred and George (though Jeff has a double role as Ron as well) and clearly Jenny is Ginny (but she's not going to end up with Nick [Harry]).<p>

**Less than 36: Decoded:**

As every Niffler knows, the numbers 3 and 6 come from the number of times the number of times that Warblers Nick and Jeff have auditioned for solos (3 and 6 respectively). However the "Less than..." part is taken from the Starkid production of_ A Very Potter Sequal_, in which the the original line is "Less than three? Oh! It's a heart!". Basically, you're saying this symbol; **3** , in words.

Thanks again for reading! Less than 36! ;)

Love Always,

~ELC


	6. Chapter 6:Bridge Over Brooding Waters

Chapter 6

Rays of sunlight burst through the glass walls of the pool house, igniting every exposed surface in a blinding blaze of white. Jeff moaned at the light, refusing to believe that it was actually morning. He stirred and stretched his arms out, feeling something that was definitely not the bed sheet. Cracking an eye open, Jeff let out a silent gasped at what he saw. His side of his body was pressed flat up against Nick, the brunette's face was resting peacefully on Jeff's collarbone. Nick's soft breaths danced over his bare chest, Jeff's skin was alive with a warm tingling.

Jeff blinked, trying to figure out how this happened. He'd always been a sleep-hugger and a bit of a roller, but never had he ever woken up _cuddling_ someone. Much less a friend. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't wait too long or someone would come in and find them like this, he couldn't wake up Nick because that would just lead to all kinds of awkwardness, and he couldn't get up because his chest and one arm were pinned down by Nick's body. But maybe, maybe Jeff didn't want to get up. Maybe, there was something about the smoothness of Nick's skin against his, or how easily the curves of their bodies molded together that made Jeff dizzy.

He made up his mind. Conjuring all of his ninja training into this one action, Jeff raised his unpinned arm and brought it over to Nick. He shook lightly on the boy's back until he began to stir. Quickly, Jeff dropped his hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and pretended he was still asleep. He felt Nick's head move on his shoulder. Nick's reaction was the same as Jeff's had been; a quietly gasp and wide panicked eyes. "Please be asleep..." Jeff heard Nick mumble in a tizzy. The bed shifted as Nick sat up, moving away from Jeff, and got off the bed. Jeff saw this as his opportunity to "wake up". He stretched out his arms, and rubbed his eyes as realistically as possible. "Good Mornin' Nick," he smiled groggily. Nick's face was pale white, but he knew that the back of his neck was grow redder with every second, "Morning." Nick said, stuck in the deer-in-headlight mode. Jeff slowly sat up on the bed, looking at the clock.

"Hey, what do you want for breakfast? We better get moving if you want to get back to Dalton for noon." Jeff paused, "Why do you need to go back anyways?"

"I'll explain on the way." Nick dodged, needing some time to think of a reason. Jeff merely shrugged, and climbed out of bed. He ran his hand through his messy blonde hair and walked over to the glass door of the pool house. He stopped and turned back to Nick, "You coming?" Nick just stared at him, the morning sun shone through the window and hit Jeff's bare chest, highlighting every inched of toned muscle. Blindly, Nick nodded his head, in both a response and a desperate measure to prevent the image from being burned into his mind. Keeping his eyes down, Nick followed Jeff through the house into the pristine kitchen, where Joseph was already dressed and reading the newspaper, and Jenny was standing at the stove, making wonderfully smelling pancakes.

"Mind throwing on a few more?" Jeff asked his sister as she flipped over a perfectly cooked pancake. Jenny didn't say anything, just started making up more batter. She looked up at Nick, but the second their eyes met, she turned away. Jeff smirked at her. Opening the double doors of the fridge, Jeff pulled out a large bottle of maple syrup and a carton of assorted fruits. Jenny hastily finished with the pancakes and stacked them on a glass plate. Jenny made her pancakes quite small; probably no bigger than a hamburger patty, so both Nick and Jeff could have a couple before Johnny woke up scarfed down the rest of the plate.

About an hour after Johnny finished off the pancakes (and subsequently, the dishes) Nick had changed back into his uniform and he, Jeff and Johnny piled into Johnny's car and were headed back to Dalton. "Alright man," Jeff turned as much as he could to face Nick, "Why did you want to come back today?"

Nick's mouth became very dry, "My mother is coming to pick me up for the holiday weekend." Nick answered vaguely. "Well, why didn't she come yesterday?"

"She had to work," he said quickly, "and she needed time to drive here." The words slipped past Nick's lips before he could stop them. Jeff listened intently, "Oh, where from?"

"Michigan."

_Michigan? Really? Where did that come from? _Nick screamed at himself_, You've never even been to Michigan, you idiot! _"Your mom lives in Michigan?" Jeff asked, completely missing the fact that Nick's mind was at war with itself. He couldn't turn back now, Nick's mouth kept spewing out lies, "Yeah, with my brother."

"You never told me you had a brother." Jeff looked nothing but intrigued, and Nick felt nothing but panicked. "Well, you've got three brothers, and they're all awesome..."

"Yeah, we are!" Johnny cheered for himself.

"My family isn't nearly as interesting." Nick hoped that was the end if that conversation. But it wasn't. Jeff shrugged, "Well, at least I'll get to meet your mom when we get to Dalton."

_Shit._

Nick hadn't thought about that. He tried to think of an excuse (not a lie, an excuse) to prevent the two from meeting, but they had already arrived at Dalton's east gate. Once the car was parked, Jeff hoped out and waited patiently for Nick to lead him to his mom's car.

Nick shuffled out of Johnny's car, making sure to say a lengthy goodbye, and slowly trudged his way across the parking lot to his mother's car.

* * *

><p>Charlotte Duval drummed her thumbs on the steering wheel, waiting for her son to appear. She'd missed him. She was a mother, it was her job. She hated that Dalton only allowed their students home on holidays. She concluded that this rule was rather new, as it wasn't in place when Nick's cousin, Thomas, attended Dalton. She stared out the front window, until her son's similar dark hair came bobbing towards her. Like any mother would, she quickly opened the car door and ran over to Nick, and hugged him tightly. And like any son would, Nick moaned, "Mom, not here..."<p>

Charlotte chuckled and look over to Jeff, she smiled invitingly. "Well, hi there. You must be Jeff. It's so nice to finally meet you." Jeff matched her smile, "Same to you, Mrs. Duval. Nick tells me that you've got quite the drive back, so I won't keep you."

"Oh, it's not that long," Charlotte waved it off, "I want to get to know you. Nick never introduces me to any of his friends..."

"That's cause I didn't have any," Nick muttered, his words went completely unnoticed, "Mom, seriously. You know how much you hate being stuck in traffic." He pulled lightly on his mother's arm. Charlotte rolled her eyes at him, "Fine, fine. I'm coming. Sorry about him, Jeff. I was so looking forward to getting to know you."

"It's alright," Jeff shrugged as Nick pulled Charlotte towards the car. "See you after the holiday!" Nick called to Jeff as he tucked into the car. Jeff waved goodbye and beamed as Charlotte pulled out of the parking lot, and onto the highway and back to Ashville.

* * *

><p>I think I'm going to run out of things to post in my Author's Notes, seriously, how man different ways can I possibly say "Thank You", "I Love You" and "I'm Sorry for the Wait"?<p>

I know this wasn't a very interesting chapter, bu just you wait! The next chapter is set back in Ashville, and you know what happens there...! Over the next three or so chapters, it's about to get very _Good Will Hunting_, which is one of my favourite movies of all time. The _"It's Not Your Fault"_ scene makes me cry every single time.

So click the little Review button and send me your thoughts and opinions, I love hearing them, your words are the main thing that keeps me writing! Less Than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC


	7. Chapter 7:Glass, Gash and Go

Chapter 7

All through dinner at the Duval's house, Charlotte could not contain her joy that Nick had finally found a friend, "And here I was, all worried you'd be lonely at Dalton." she gushed, waving her fork in the air. Nick poked at the slice of ham on his plate, "Mom, it's really not a big deal." Maybe he was still digesting food from last night or he just didn't like talking about Jeff, either way, he didn't feel like eating.

Heavy, thunderous footsteps slammed against the floor above. Nick winced at the familiar sound, the monster had awakened. His heart pounded harder with every time the ceiling would creek. He ducked his head down as Derrick lugged his intoxicated body to the table. "Look who's back from Fairyland," Derrick crocked as he pulled a slice of ham from the plate that had been laid out for him and ate it with his hands. Derrick slumped into the open chair and grabbed another piece of meat, this one from Nick's plate.

"Oh Derrick, you should have come with me," Charlotte gushed, "While I was in Westerville, I got to meet Nick's friend, Jeff, wasn't it?" Nick nodded, "Again. It's not that big of a deal." Nick's eyes cast over to Derrick, watching in caution as the muscles in Derrick's arms torn at the slice of meat. He sat perfectly still, years of experience had taught him that Derrick was a lot like a wild bear; if you don't look directly at him, he would tear you to shreds.

"Can we talk about something else now?" Nick asked eagerly. Charlotte reached over and humorously brushed Nick's hair out of his eyes. "I'm just happy that you two are so close."

Derrick's fingers halted causing Nick's blood to run cold.

She did it. She triggered it. She set the beast free.

"Char, could you get me another beer?" Derrick asked in a clearly restrained voice. Nick's chest tightened as his mother spoke, "We don't have anymore." Before Derrick had waken up, Nick and Charlotte had gone around the house, gathering every bottle they could find and poured the alcohol down the sink. Unfortunately, it was painfully obvious that Derrick had three or four before the grand sweep. Derrick wasn't having it with the excuse, "Then go to the store and get more." He gritted his yellow teeth together with enough force to shatter the bone like glass.

"Derrick, I'm not going to leave in the middle of dinner." Nick brief admired his mother's new found courage, she must have finally learned how to defend herself during the months of Nick's absence.

With one swoop of his arm, Derrick cast his glass plate off the table. It hit the wall with an ear-splitting shatter and fell to the floor in dozens of pieces. "Now!" He had lost all restrain. His voice was like a cannon, explosions of his words sent shock waves through the house. Charlotte had given in, and she dashed out of the house in fear of her life. Nick chased after her, "Mom!" Nick called, "Don't leave me here with- ARGH!"

Unseen by Nick, Derrick had gotten up from his chair, stormed after the brunette and pulled him back by the hair. "Let me go!"Nick screamed as Derrick pulled him back into the dinning room. He threw Nick against violently the wall, knocking the air out of the boy. When he landed on the floor, Nick realized how close he landed to the pile that used to the plate. He instantly tried to get to his feet, but a crush blow to his head landed him back on the ground. Derrick's foul smelling body covered him, Nick struggled against him, struggled and failed.

"Close?" Fired Derrick's cannon voice, "I always knew you were a fairy, boy, and you know what? People around here don't take too kindly to your kind of filth." Derrick used one hand to pin both of Nick's arms above his head, and reached forward with the other, picking up a large shard of glass from the floor. Nick's eyes were horror-struck as Derrick waved the shard over his face.

"Around here, filth like you end up getting..._hurt_." He dragged the tip of the glass along Nick's shirt, ripping the fabric open, exposing his already bruised chest. Nick shuttered under Derrick's body, he could feel the edge of the blade lightly scratch his skin. Derrick torn Nick's shirt open farther so it hung over his shoulders like a cap. Angrily, he dragged the glass over the boy's chest. Rivers of red blood flowed to the surface, running down his skin. Nick screamed in agony as the blade reentered his chest, connecting with the first slash.

It carried on for the longest ten minutes of Nick's life. Slash after slash left gush after gush. Every time Derrick would raise his hand to cut again, his hand would be covered in blood. Nick's blood. Nick could hold back his cries, in an attempt to make him shut up, Derrick knocked his elbow against Nick's temple, which left him moaning instead of clamped his eyes shut, trying to pretend that this wasn't really happening, as he had so many times in his life.

"Shit!" Derrick suddenly shouted, Nick opened his eyes to see that karma had thrown him a bone and Derrick had squeezed the shard so tightly that it cut his own hand. Derrick growled again, and sliced a longer, slower line into Nick.

Then he was gone. Likely hurried off to the kitchen to look for more beer.

Nick lay flat on the floor, gasping in pain. His entire chest throbbed and he felt light headed from losing all that blood. Still, he needed to get up, in case Derrick came back for him.

Gasping silently, Nick rolled onto his side, and lifted himself onto his wobbly legs. He shuffled down the hallway into the bathroom. He shut the door quietly and locked it, then stepped infront of the sink, gripping onto the basion to keep from passing out.

When he had finally stopped panting, Nick raised his head to look at himself in the mirror. His entire chest was drenched in blood, it was still seeping out of the cuts and down his pants. Nick peeled the ruined shirt off his shoulders, dropping it onto the floor. Nick grabbed the towel off the wall rack , wet it, and tried to wipe away the blood. Every thread that touched his chest set rocket of torture through his nerves. By the time he was finished, the once white towel was completely crimson. Nick looked back in the mirror to see if he had missed any. And what he saw shattered him.

Etched into the skin over his collarbone, the place where Derrick had spent the most time, was a word. The letters were jagged and uneven, but it was clear as day; _FAG_, it read.

Nick held back fits of tearless sobs. He stepped away from the sink, unable to tear his eyes away from the word in his reflection. The back of his legs hit the ceramic wall of the bathtub. He stopped and slid down the glass door, until he sat on the tile floor. His head pounded like a drum, he needed to lie down. Using the last of his strength, he leaned over and tipped himself onto his side. He must have looked like a blood ball like this, but he honestly couldn't lift his body up to reposition. Every part of him screamed in soreness. He could do nothing but stare at the drops of blood that littered the tile floor.

In almost 5 years with Derrick in his life, never had he ever done something like this; never had Nick ever bled at his hand. He had learned to tolerate Derrick's normal tactics, a shove only hurt for the second of collision, slaps left only hand prints that faded in minutes, insults were just words that never had the power to phase him, punches would bruise and only hurt for the hour. But this wasn't a bruise. This was a gash. A gash that would scar and leave behind an eternal slash on his chest and on his heart. It would never heal completely. Not matter how far from his problematic home he ran, he could never escape it. Ever.

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><p>Does it make me a bad person for writing this? Does it make me an even worse person for planning something even worse? I don't know why, but I love writing chapters like this one. It's probably because I watch too many crime shows and have plenty ideas on how to torture characters.<p>

Still, what do you guys think?

I know I end every single with a differently word version of me begging for your reviews, but I'm not giving up any time soon. I need your opinions more than I need air right now, so please. Scroll down a little farther, click the review button and writing me a blurb in the doobilidoo. Less than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC


	8. Chapter 8:Tragic Truths

Chapter 8

Nick ran his finger over the longest of the scars; the one that stretched from his shoulder down to his stomach. The thin white lines ran down his chest like a railway map. Most of them had healed over, but they were still clearly visible. Even now, as Nick sat on the counter in their dorm bathroom, the red and white scars stood out against his skin. His shirt lay on the counter, it was a rarity that Nick actually got to take it off, because of the state of his chest, Nick had to tuck into the bathroom to change into his uniform. The only other time was when he would take a shower, which left him in excoriating pain because of the water pressure.

Nick had barely survived his first day back at Dalton; first of all, getting ready for school after your chest has been slashed is nothing short of torture. Throughout the day, every time Nick raised his arms, sat down, stood up, turned around or made any kind of movement, his shirt would rub against the scars and make Nick wince. He couldn't imagine how he was going to get through Warbler practice, singing wouldn't be a problem, but it was late enough in the year that they had to start working on the choreography for the Dalton's Parents' Night next month. Nick sighed, he had completely forgotten about Parents' Night. His mom had it written down on her calender for months, it was the only time she got to watch her son perform. Even better than that was that she never brought Derrick along with her. She would stay in Westerville for the whole weekend, and for those few days, it was like Derrick never existed.

The wall clock in the bathroom told him that it was almost four. Jeff would be getting back soon.

Nick reached for his shirt on the counter, only to realize that he had accidentally put it down in a puddle of water on the counter. He groaned. It was soaked pretty well, all the way through. He would have to grab another shirt to wear for when Jeff got back. Nick tossed the wet shirt into the hamper in the corner and cracked the door open. The dorm was empty, but it wouldn't be that way for long. Quickly he opened the door and slipped back into the bedroom. Nick dashed over to the closet and pulled out his black sweater. He was about to put it on when, he heard the rattle of the turning doorknob.

Horrified, Nick turned around and covered his bare chest with the sweater. "Jeff!" Nick screamed as the blonde stepped into the room. Jeff looked at him, briefly shocked but quickly melted into a laugh. "Dude, calm down." he laughed slightly, "It's your room too. You can change in front of me." Nick stood frozen. Jeff blinked, "Alright, how's this?" he stepped over to his bed, putting his back to Nick, "Better? I'm not even looking."

Deciding to take the chance, Nick threw the sweater around his shoulders, never taking his eyes off the back of Jeff's head. Popped his arms through the sleeves and reached for the zipper. He was about to zip it up when... in his hurried state, Nick pulled the zipper up too fast. Sending the metal teeth digging into his scars. White hot pain filled his mind. Unable to hold himself back, Nick let out a tortured wheeze.

"You okay, Nick?" Jeff asked as he looked over his shoulder, seeing the brunette hunched over in pain. "Fine," Nick squeezed out, "Just scratched myself."

"You Sure? It sounded like you were being cut open..."

_Oh Jeff, you have no idea how right you are._ Nick thought as he attempted to stand up straight. "No, no. I'm fine."

Skeptically, Jeff turned around to face Nick. His glare froze Nick's mind, making him forget how to move. Suddenly, Jeff's eyes narrowed and attached to something. "Nick..." he took a few steps closer to Nick, "What is that?" He pointed at Nick's abdomen. Nick looked down.

_Shit_

He hadn't done the zipper all the way up, and part of a long red scar poked out from underneath the black fabric. Jeff was now standing so close to him, that Nick could count every shiny blonde strand of hair on Jeff's head. Nick couldn't move. His mind screamed at him to step back, but everything from the neck down was totally paralyzed. The only sounds he could make was the heavy pants that matched his racing heart in rhythm. Jeff put his hand on Nick's chest, lightly running one finger over the wound. Nick inhaled sharply at the contact. Jeff was in a state of auto-pilot, his fingers slid down to the zipper, grasping it.

"Please don't..." Nick practically begged as he met Jeff's gaze. The blonde's eyes were glazed over with an intrigued panic. Nick knew that his own eyes were filling with fearful tears. Jeff's hand did not pull away, instead he brought his other hand up to Nick's forearm. A gesture that was supposed to be comforting but it scared Nick. Scared him because if Jeff moved his hand down, he would unveil exactly what Nick had been hiding from Jeff for a year, the Warblers for two, his mother for three, and the world for his entire life.

Nick's head dropped, he couldn't look at him, he was too ashamed.

"Nick," Jeff whispered, "I care about you. I want to know." Nick found the strength to raise his head, once again meeting Jeff's eyes. The fire in Jeff's eyes melted the ice on his mind, and he brought his hand up, placing it on Jeff''s.

"Promise you won't hate me?" Nick's words were shaking.

"Promise."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Nick lead Jeff's hand downward, unzipping the sweater. The tears building in Nick's eyes fought their way out, one slid down Nick's pale cheek and fell, landing on the boys' hands. He could feel the cold air hit his chest, his stomach churned with guilt and fear. Both hitting him with all their might when he heard Jeff gasp.

"Oh my God." The blonde couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Nick's pale chest. The poor boy looked like he had been attacked by a wild animal.

When the zipper reached the bottom, the sweater fell open. Raising his hesitant hand, Jeff pushed the sleeve of Nick's sweater off his shoulder. The one without the word. Nick could do nothing but sob, "I'm sorry, Jeff. I'm so sorry."

Jeff hadn't said a word yet, he was just trying to wrap his hind around the sight of Nick.

"This wasn't an accident, was it?" Jeff asked quietly, though he's not sure why, he already knew the answer. Nick only cried and shook his head. Jeff reached for the remaining side of the sweater, when Nick caught his hand. The look in their eyes was the same. Fear. More in Nick than Jeff, but still present. With a desperate inhale of courage, Nick used Jeff's hand to push off the remaining shoulder of the sweater.

Nick could have sworn he saw Jeff's heart climb into his throat the moment his eyes hit the three-letter word on his right collarbone. Another sob rattled from Nick as he stood and waited for Jeff's reaction of disgust. Instead, the reaction that came was of horror.

"Who did this to you?" Jeff asked quickly, looking at the word, then Nick's face, then back to the word again. Nick's mouth was dry from sobbing. He stammered out the tragically truthful answer, "D-Derrick."

"Derrick? That your brother?"

It was then that Nick realized that he had never mentioned the name to his friend before.

"No, he's my mother's boyfriend."

"Does she know?"

"I don't think so. I really don't want her too. I never wanted anyone to know, not my mother, or the dean, or the police, or the Warblers, or you... especially, not you." Jeff, who had just realized that he was still touching Nick's scars, removed his hand and took another step toward Nick, almost standing toe to toe.

"Why not me?"

Nick ducked his head again, ashamed, "Because you'd hate me. And then I'd lose you."

Jeff looked taken aback, as if the very concept, let alone the actuality, of those two proposals was inconceivable. To prove his point, Jeff wrapped a protective arm around Nick's bare shoulder, resting his hand in the brunette's hair. "I would never hate you. As long as I'm here, you're safe here." He lowered his head to get Nick to look at him, his eyes were still glistening with tears. There was nothing but sincerity in Jeff's words, and that fact filled him with a loving gratitude for the boy.

A sudden burst of emotion swept Nick out of his own mind and into Jeff. He wrapped his arms tightly around his back, not caring about how the contact was hurting his scars. Digging his hands into the fabric of Jeff's shirt, and burying his face in the nape of Jeff's neck. Jeff rubbed his hand up and down Nick's back as Nick began to sob again.

* * *

><p>Firstly, if you can't tell by the length of this chapter, I am extremely bored and now have hours of free time on my hands because my exams are finished and I am officially on Summer vacation. Meaning, I am now able to to write new chapters 24 hours a day, minus the ones when I'm asleep.<p>

Secondly, in about a month, I'll be going away to camp for two weeks so that will delay my update dates. Hopefully, you can all just hang in their for a while.

Thirdly, I have no idea how to end this fic. I understand that does make me sound very good as a writer but I do have several ideas I want to write out. And that means that _Downtown Man_ will not be ending any time soon.

Fourthly, if there are any _Newsies_ fans reading this, I am planning a Newsies!Niff fic, most likely entitled _Banner Boys _and set alongside the _Newsies _movie, not the musical, I haven't had the luck to see it yet. But don't get your hopes up just yet because I won't be uploading it until this story is complete or near completion.

Fifthly, I was on the Niff tumblr tag today and I came across this link:

** /watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zRVxczHSqXc#**

If you are ready to squeal/laugh your head off, go to Youtube, add that to the url, and and go watch it! I suggest waiting until you are home alone to do so, because I've watched like 20 times now and I still can't keep a straight face.

Sixthly, and Finally, Yes, I am aware that I have reached the beautiful sight of 36 reviews, but that doesn't mean I never want to hear from you guys again. Please leave a review! Let's see if we can get to 63!

Less than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC


	9. Chapter 9:Retouch and Reward

Chapter 9

Similar to a morning not too long ago, Jeff woke up to Nick's face on his chest. But this time, it wasn't shocking or awkward to either of the boys, now it was more comforting. The sleeping boy lay curled up against Jeff, head and hand on his chest, legs intertwined, Jeff's arms wrapped protectively around him. Jeff looked down at Nick, when the boy was awake, his face seemed to be ironed into an expression of a combination of focus, worry and sorrow. Now, all three of those qualities melted away, leaving Nick's face almost blissful. He looked so young, so innocent. Far too innocent to even know what kind of hellish cruelty would leave such marks, much less have to go through it. Last night, the two had spent hours lying on Jeff's bed, just lying there as Jeff listened silently to Nick tell him stories about the horrors of his life in Ashville.

_"One time, when I was like, 12 or 13, my mother had to stay at work for a few more hours, she had to have Derrick watch me. This was a couple of years ago, and his drinking wasn't as bad as it is now, so she trusted him a little bit more." _

_There was an angry bite in Nick's words as he tearfully said them. Jeff could feel Nick's tears beginning to soak through his didn't care. He only pulled Nick closer. "I was watching TV and all of the sudden, he comes in. He started screaming at me. He grabbed my arm and threw me down the stairs to our basement."  
><em>

_"He had this table in the corner. With a stick, and belt and a wrench on it. And he'd just point to it and say 'Choose'." There was slight pause, as Nick caught his breath and Jeff tried to stay calm. "I usually chose the wrench."  
><em>

_"Why the wrench?" Jeff asked. To him, that sounded like the the worst option.  
><em>

_"Cause the wrench wore him out. And then he'd pass out before my mom got home."  
><em>

The movement of Jeff's chest brought him back to reality. Nick's body rustled, and eventually sat up. Groggily, Nick rubbed his eyes. He noticed first Jeff's body, second that Jeff was looking at him and third, that he was shirtless. Acting on his first instinct, Nick hunched his shoulders forward, trying to cover himself. But then memories of the previous night came back. How he told Jeff about Derrick, about how he doesn't have a brother, or lives in Michigan, about Ashville, about the scholarship, about the truth. His face felt stiff. How much had he cried last night?

"Hey." Jeff whispered as he sat up, moving closer to Nick. "Hi." came Nick's empty response. Nick kept his head down, where were they supposed to go from here? Were they supposed to talk about it again? Pretend like last night never happened? Nick didn't like either of those options; he needed Jeff to know, but he would like to forget about all of his crying. Now Jeff knew his deepest secret. And now, it hit him. Could he trust Jeff? They had only been friends for a few months now. It wasn't like they knew each other for years and knew everything about each other. What if everyone found out? The Warblers would never look at him the same, the dean would probably contact the police, who could take him away from his mother, and Dalton, and Jeff. It wasn't like he _didn't_ trust Jeff, it's just, he had to know.

"Jeff, about last night..." Nick cleared his throat, searching for the right words, "you won't tell anybody right?" The look on Jeff's face was unreadable, seeming like a mix of stunned, contemplating, and hurt. "Nick, I gotta do something. I can't just sit back and let this carry on."

"You can and you will." Nick said firmly, "Jeff, please. I need you to do this for me. Don't tell anyone."

Jeff let out a huffy sigh, "Fine. I won't tell anybody. I swear." Nick put a thankful hand on Jeff's shoulder. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>In preparation for the Parents' Night Concert, Warbler practices doubled in length. Being one of the largest all-boy acapella groups in the Midwest, they devoted hours every week to planning, practicing, and choreographing the four songs they sang together. Not to mention the solos; at every concert, four boys were given solos. One of them was pretty much spoken for; Blaine Anderson was pretty much Dalton's Harry Potter. He was perfect in every kind of way, and everybody knew who he was. It didn't matter if you liked him or not because the truth was, he's better than you. Golden Boy Blaine was the lead Warbler, had always been and likely would be until he graduated.<p>

"I now call this meeting of the Dalton Academy Warblers to order." called Wes as he banged his gavel on the table. The Warblers assembled into their standard arrangement; ordered across by voice type and vertically height. Jeff was in in the same section as Nick, but a row higher, Trent was in the second last row on the other side, Wes and the David were in the direct middle, Beatz was back row centre and Blaine was front row centre. Rehearsal dragged on for over two hours. By the end, Wes and the other members of the Warbler council drew the attention of the boys with a single-page list. The list of Soloist. For every Warblers concert, they preformed five songs as a group and selected three other soloists. Normally they only went to the senior members, but this year Blaine had one all tied up. Now there were only two left.

Wes started with his ten minute long speech on Warbler tradition, then David snatched the paper out of his hand, "Okay, enough of that. We, the Warbler Council, are proud to announce this year's Parent's Night Concert Soloists. Congratulations to..." he read off the list, even though he already knew knew he was on it, "Blaine Anderson." A round of expectant but proud applause sounded. Nick clapped along, Jeff shifted closer to Nick and whispered as if on a two-way radio, "That's a big _Umm Duh_ good buddy." They two boys laughed silently as Wes announced the next solo recipient, Robert Mitchell, a lanky senior with whispy blonde hair and glasses.

"And finally, our last solo will be preformed by..."

Several Warblers crossed their fingers.

"Jeff Sterling."

Jeff's head come rising off the back of the couch, his jaw flapped up and down, not fully comprehending what had just happened. Several 'woohoo's rang through the room as the boys applauded. Even Nick gave Jeff his attempt at a "Way to Go" smile. Wes and David happily waited for the cheering to cease, "Congratulations to all of you. We look forward to hearing your song selections in the next week. Warbler, you are dismissed."

At the sound of dismissal, everybody rose, and formed three rings on congratulations around each of the soloists. They came up so fast that Nick ended up being mashed between Trent and Thad. They elbowed at his scars, unknowingly of course, to get closer to Jeff. Taking another hit to the sternum, Nick had to step away and waited for the Jeff's ring to disperse. It took 4 minutes for a glimpse of Jeff to become visible. Soon, the Warbler council grew restless, and literally had to chase people out of the room with Wes' gavel.

Jeff received several more congratulatory pats on the back on his way out. His face was still stuck in a phase of awestruck, clearly his mouth must have working on auto pilot if he accepted so many sentiments and had not facially registered them. Finally, he was free of his bird-like followers. Once in the corridor, Jeff turned to him and said, "Did that really happen? Because I can't remember anything and I'm pretty sure I can't feel my legs."

Nick chuckled. It was oddly comforting to see Jeff look so flustered. The brunette stepped closer to Jeff, "Yeah, it kinda did. Way to go, Rockstar." He put a hand on Jeff's shoulder, trying to kick start the boy into walking. Jeff smiled, "Speaking of rock stars, the Spades have another gig this weekend so if wanna come over..."

"Jeff, I think we've established that I always want to come over." Nick interluded cheekily, "You filling in again?"

"Nah, Matt's got his meds under control now. He's got this heart condition so he has to be careful about his adrenaline. But since I'm not playing, you can help me choose a song for my solo."

"Sounds tedious, but I'll be there."

* * *

><p>Yes, I know that was a really sucky way to end the chapter, and overall, it's not a very interesting update at all, but all the <em>fun <em>stuff I love to write is coming up very, very soon. I'm working on the next chapter _right this second_ and I can summarize it in one simple phrase; _"Niff meets Donny". _Roll that around in your minds until my next update.

Keep the Reviews Coming, and let's see if we can hit 63! Less than 36.

Love Always,

~ELC


	10. Chapter 10:Can't Fight, Can't Breath

Chapter 10

Today was a first for Nick. Today, while he and Jeff were hanging out in the pool house, he wore a t-shirt. It didn't sound like much, but for Nick, it was pretty monumental. Not wearing sleeves proved that Nick was comfortable enough around Jeff that he didn't feel like he had to hide from him anymore. In addition to hitting new ground with clothing, today was the first time Nick got to see Jeff freak out.

"This isn't working!" Jeff groaned loudly as he flopped backwards onto the pool house couch. The two boys had been held up in the pool house for almost four hours now, trying to find a song for Jeff solo. They had a list going, currently it stood at 136 song possibilities. They played some on the stereo, some Jeff already had sheet music for so he played them on Johnny's guitar, some they had to Youtube. All were turned down.

"Look, there's has to be something here." Nick lay on the bed, sprawled amongst the mountains of sheet music. "It would help if we knew what we were looking for..."

"We're looking a song." Jeff said simply. "Yeah, but what kind?" Nick probed as he got off the bed and sat on the arm of the couch, "Cause you can't be vague and picky at the same time. It's just frustrating."

Jeff shook his head, "I just want it to be prefect. I've never had a solo before and I..."

"You're scared."

"I'm not scared." Jeff snapped as he turned to Nick, "I'm just nervous. This is going to be the first time I'll be singing by myself." He became even more panicked, "I don't even know how I got this solo. I didn't audition for it, I definitely haven't been standing out in practice."

"Maybe they liked you when you sang with the Spades." Nick suggested. That did make sense.

"But I was with Johnny and the guys then, I don't even know if I'm good enough on my own." Jeff's face was warped into an expression of worry, an expression that didn't belong on the blonde. In the months that Nick had known him, Jeff's face had rarely left joyous. It was that foreign facial expression that propelled Nick from the couch, over to the stereo where Jeff's iPod was plugged into the docking station. He turned it on, pressed shuffle, and turned back to Jeff.

"Nick, what are you doing?"

"You're going to sing. By yourself. Right now."

"Nick, I can't."

"You can and you will," Nick practically had to drag Jeff to his feet as the sound of keyboards filled the pool house, "Look, if it helps, I'll start."

"Nick, no."

Nick started singing anyway.

_I can't fight this feeling any longer. _  
><em>And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow. <em>  
><em>What started out as friendship, <em>  
><em>Has grown stronger. <em>  
><em>I only wish I had the strength to let it show.<br>__  
><em>With a flick of his wrist, Nick motioned for Jeff to take it a way. The blonde boy opened his mouth, stammering out the words.

_I tell myself that I can't hold out forever. _  
><em>I said there is no reason for my fear. <em>

Nick reached for Jeff's arm, trying to get him to relax._  
><em>

_Cause I feel so secure when we're together. _  
><em>You give my life direction, <em>  
><em><br>_Jeff calmed a little, raising his head.

_You make everything so clear._

Nick smiled, letting go even further. He jumped on the back of the couch, trying to be as dramatic as possible.

_ And even as I wander, _  
><em>I'm keeping you in sight.<em>

Jeff joined him, stepping wobbly onto the couch.

_You're a candle in the window, _  
><em>On a cold, dark winter's night. <em>

The two boys sang together, hearing for the first time, what they sounded like together.

_And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might._

Jeff reached out his hand to Nick, to who took it on rhythm. Together, Nick and Jeff jumped off the back of the couch. Landing on the pool house floor at the exact same time.

_And I can't fight this feeling anymore. _  
><em>I've forgotten what I started fighting for. <em>  
><em>It's time to bring this ship into the shore, <em>  
><em>And throw away the oars, forever.<em>

Nick grabbed a stack of papers from the coffee table, and threw them into the air in true Warbler fashion. The papers fluttered to the floor around them, swirling and twirling like snowflakes. Simply to avoid being hit, Jeff stepped closer to Nick, almost toe to toe.

_ Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore. _  
><em>I've forgotten what I started fighting for.<br>_

It was then that Nick realized for the first time, how close Jeff's face was to his own. A wave of nervous heat shot through his body, sending his mind in circles. He couldn't think, he couldn't move, he couldn't raise his voice above a whisper as he sang.

_And if I have to crawl upon the floor, _

Jeff must have noticed too, because his voice fell into a hush as well.

_Come crushing through your door, _

One line left. And both boys could barely hear their own words. There was nothing else in the world, there was only this moment, there was only their matching rushing pulses, there was only each other, and there was only inches between them.

_Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore. _

The song finished. The heat radiating from both their bodies didn't. It only intensified. It grew. It was building inside them as their eyes met. Nick couldn't breath, he never wanted to move away. His eyes darted back and forth between Jeff's eyes, his lips and back to his eyes. Jeff's chest heaved, not from exhaustion, but from nerves. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't bring himself to back away, but moving closer... he just couldn't.

Had time even moved since the song ended?

Nick couldn't take it anymore. He needed to know. His eyes fluttered shut, leaving Jeff to make the choice. And he did. Jeff's lips grazed over Nick's, sending sparks of need through him. Nick arched his neck upward, closing every last inch between their lips. Jeff's hand came up, snaking up Nick's arm, to his neck, to cupping his face. He kissed back, running his thumb over Nick's cheek, his fingers toying with his hair. Nick sighed to the kiss. He was willing to bet that Jeff could hear his heart pounding, but he was okay with it.

Out nothing but pure desperation for air, they broke apart, resting their foreheads against each other. They just stood there, chests heaving, heads spinning, lips tingling, hearts racing, knees quivering. Nick tried to break the silence, "I..." but Jeff interrupted, "Duet with me."

Nick stared at him, "What?"

"Duet with me." Jeff repeated, still out of breath, "At Parents' Night. Sing with me. We'll do it together."

Nick still didn't respond.

"Nick, please. I need you to sing with me. Please?"

"Okay." Nick breathed out with a smile.

* * *

><p>Yes, I am currently on vacation from Camp right now.<p>

No, I probably won't be able to update again until after I come back.

Yes, once I return from camp, my number one priority is getting back to my fic schedule.

Yes, I have a better idea of where this fic is going now. No, I still don't know how to end it.

No, _Downtown Man _won't be ending any time soon.

I honestly don't know what to say anymore, so just me leave your reviews!

Love Always,

~ELC


	11. Chapter 11:Something Anything Everything

Chapter 11

"What do mean Nick can't sing with me ?" Jeff blinked in disbelief at Wes, who was flipping through the Warbler Book of Law; a compilation in the late 1970's dictating every rule, code, tradition and practice involved in maintaining the Warbler Way. The Chinese boy sat own on the couch next to the boys. He pointed to the passage and read it aloud, "Rule No. 83; 'Awarded solos are to be preformed by one current Warbler member...' one Warbler."

"Oh, come on," Nick moaned, "It's not like we're asking for another solo..."

"Rules are rules," Wes dismissed, closing the book gently, "I'm sorry guys, but it's Warbler law."

* * *

><p>"Stupid ancient book full of stupid ancient rules." Jeff muttered angrily when the two boys arrived back their dorm room. Jeff flopped dejectedly onto his bed, whereas Nick sheepishly took off his blazer, hung it in the closet with an unnecessary amount of care. The brunette turned back to his dorm mate, sitting nervously on the edge of his own bed. Nick wrung his fingers awkwardly, trying to find the right words to say.<p>

"Jeff, could we, I mean, we should, um, talk... about what happened this weekend, you know... in the pool house..." Nick stammered, "You know, we...uh, the..."

"The kiss?" Jeff finished, his voice completely phased. Nick's mouth was bone dry, he nodded, "Yeah, that. I just wanted to..." Jeff rolled off the far side of his bed, stepping over to their dresser for no reason other than to get away from the subject at hand. He lowered his head and crossed his arms in discomfort, "I don't... let's just, move on, okay? We'll just pretend like it never happened."

It a time like this, Nick knew he needed to remain silent. Not to risk ruining everything he had with Jeff with one conversation. But his mouth had other ideas...

"No."

The moment the word escaped his lips, the whole atmosphere of the room changed, suddenly becoming painfully still and silent. Jeff raised his head to him, confused and shocked but his burst of bluntness. "It happened, Jeff. We need to talk about it." Nick's tone was nothing short of desperate. The brunette eased off his bed, standing just a few paces behind Jeff, who turned to face him, "Nick, there's nothing to talk about. It just kind of happened. It meant nothing."

"It meant something to me." Nick said just above a whisper. Jeff's breath hitched. His head raised as Nick's head ducked. Cautiously, Nick inched closer to the blonde, and continued with his confession, "I don't want to act like it never happened, Jeff. When you kissed me... it felt...so...right. I felt like maybe you felt something too, something that I've felt for a long time now. You mean everything to me, Jeff. And I need to know if I mean _anything_ to you." Nick's eyes were misty, he wasn't used to bearing his soul like this. Admission was not something he did well.

Nick held his eyes down, feeling the waves of the vulnerable numbness course through him. He just stood there in the silence, willing that the ground below him would open and swallow him whole. He just stood there in the silence, waiting for any kind of reaction from but at the same time, terrified, for he knew that answer would be rejection. He just stood there in the silence, trying desperately to hold himself together. He just stood there in the silence, feeling the whole world stop dead in its tracks, prolonging this unwanted moment. He just stood there in the silence, until Jeff touched his arm.

Nick slowly opened his teary eyes just enough to see Jeff's fingers gingerly gazed over his arm. They didn't stop. Tantalizingly slow, Jeff's hand traveled up Nick's arm, over the curve of his shoulder, up his neck, to cupping the side of the brunette's face. He gently forced Nick to look up at him. Tearful brown met shocked hazel. Jeff's eyes burrowed into Nick's soul, send rivers of fear scratching down his spine.

Jeff silently pressed his lips against Nick's, to which the shorter boy responded instantly, pulling Jeff closer by the blonde's hip. The kiss was soft and tender, but quickly sped up, becoming hotter, more desperate. Each boy committed to memory the way that their mouths molded perfectly together, the flutter that erupted in their stomachs. Jeff broke the kiss for a brief second to whisper, "You're everything, Nick." Another long, needy kiss. "I want everything. I want you." Jeff held Nick's face with both of his hands, their chests panting, their lips swollen and bruised from furious contact. "I want us."

Nick's heart pounded against his chest like a jack hammer. A blur of overwhelming joy, disbelief and need swept through him again. He pounced back onto Jeff's mouth, throwing his arms Jeff's chest. Jeff ran the tip of his tongue along Nick's bottom lip. Once the entrance was granted, their danced together, exploring every crevasse of the others mouth. Feeling every curve, every cell, everything.

For that's what they were now. Everything.

* * *

><p>It wasn't the sunlight that woke Nick, it was the sound of his cell phone buzzing. Groggily, Nick reached for the vibrating device, bringing it to his ear and answering with a yawn.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hey Nicky. I'm so call you so early," his mother's voice came from the other end of the phone. She sounded oddly cheerful despite being up so early. Nick slowly sat up.

"It's fine, Mom. But Jeff still asleep, so I'm going to have to be quiet." Nick glanced over to the sleeping blonde boy in the other bed. He looked like a porcelain doll when he slept; curled up, face relaxed, blonde hair falling over his eye delicately.

"Well, I hope I'll try to keep it down, but this is important. I have some news."

"You got a promotion?" Nick guessed.

"Better." Charlotte gushed, Nick practically see the tears in her eyes, "Derrick and I are getting married."

* * *

><p>Oooooh, my forecast says there's trouble on the Derrick front. And Nick and Jeff just getting together and the Parent's Night Concert just around the corner, something tells me lightning is about to strike.<p>

Anyways, thanks for waiting for me. I know I haven't updated in like a month, so I'm putting myself on a schedule.

From now on, every other Friday will be my _**Downtown Man** _day. Maybe every third if it's a long one. Hopefully that will help.

ANNOYING REMINDER ALERT!

I love hearing from you guys, your reviews are what make me want to write more so please, leave your thought in the little review box and write me an essay about how much you love me! Okay, that's a bit narcissistic, so how about just your opinion on the chapter?

Less Than 36!

Love Always,

~ELC


	12. Chapter 12: Finding Frozen Fears

Chapter 12

_"Derrick and I are getting married."  
><em>

Nick's heart stopped dead in tracks at his mother's words. Married? The phone slipped from his fingers and fell into his lap. Charlotte still spoke on the other end, "Nicky, are you still there?" _Married?_ His mind ran blank, not able to fully handle the news. He was completely blindsided; and this news was a crushing blow to the one place he had left foolishly left unguarded; his heart. His finger slipped downward, hanging up the phone. Nick's chest was tight. He couldn't breath. He sprung from his bed, pacing frantically. His mind was still hung up on the word. _Married?_

Then the tears began to fall. The walls began to close in on him. There was no air left in the room.

He was choking.

Nick thrashed at his shirt in desperation, tearing from his body, throwing it to the ground.

Still no air.

The window.

Heavy and shaking, Nick's hands threw open the window. The cold December air bit into Nick's skin.

But he did care.

He needed air.

He stuck his head out the window.

Inhaling hysterically.

The air wouldn't enter his lungs. It stopped blowing just before Nick's face.

Taunting him.

He had to get out of here.

He ran.

Out of the dorm. Down the hall. out of the building.

Into the freezing December air.

* * *

><p>Jeff awoke with a shudder, feeling the sub-zero air against the skin of his bare back. Groggily, He pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes and yawning, "Morning Nick." No response. He turned to Nick's bed, the covers lay askew. Nick always made his bed in the morning, he said it helped him sleep. And he always put his dirt clothes in the hamper, yet Nick's black t-shirt was left carelessly on the were small things, but as the only person to ever share a room with Nick, Jeff knew him better than anyone else. And these things didn't sit right with him.<p>

The blonde climbed out his bed, feeling frost build on his exposed skin. Jeff shut the window and pulling on a sweater when the lack of wind did nothing to warm the small dorm.

Snow was begin to fall outside, leaving a thin white blanket on the Dalton grounds.

Jeff turned and left the room, making a bee-line for Trent's room. He pounded on the wooden door. Trent cracked his door open slowly, quite clearly annoyed by being woken up so early, "Hey, wha-"

"Have you seen Nick?" Jeff jumped, cutting off whatever witty comment Trent was about to say. "No," Trent blinked, thrown off guard by Jeff's bluntness, "Shouldn't you know? I mean, I've never seen you more than 10 feet away from each other."

"Well, you do now." Jeff explained, "I got up this morning, and Nick's stuff was everywhere, and the window was open, and he wasn't there..."

"Did you try looking outside?" groaned Trent's roommate, Thad, "Maybe he just wanted some fresh air." Jeff nodded, "I'll have a look. Thanks man."

"Happy to help." Trent yawned as Thad lightly cursed at him in Spanish.

* * *

><p>"Neeugh!" Nick screamed in frustration, as he slashed his arms across the snow covered shrubs of the Dalton south courtyard. Thin, wiry branches scratched his arms, leaving red cuts in his pale skin.<p>

Fumed by white-hot rage, Nick stormed through the courtyard in sloppy, crooked circles. He didn't notice how he had completely lost feeling in his feet, or how his chest had turned as whit as the snow, or how the streams of angry tears had literally frozen to his cheeks.

"How could she?" he snarled through gritted teeth, throwing his entire body in every possible direction. In his furious hazed, Nick didn't even flinch when his feet slipped on a patched of buried ice, sending crashing onto the frozen ground. He felt to no pain, the impact of his body on the ice only fuel the flame of his fury. Nick clawed at the ice, banging his fists against it, bruising his frost bitten fingers.

"How could you?!" he cried at the howling wind.

Then he just stopped. And he realized.

He was lying in a snowbank.

He wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants.

His whole body shaking from the cold.

He couldn't see where he was anymore.

His heart was beating hard.

He had no feeling left in his feet or fingers.

His breaths were wheezy.

His skin was gaining a blueish tint.

His entire body was screaming.

He couldn't move.

He was frozen.

He was alone.

And he was scared.

* * *

><p>"Nicky!" Jeff called into the white out, "Where are you?"<p>

The silence that answered him did nothing but force him to try again. "Nicky, can you hear me?"

The December wind sliced through Jeff's sweater, he useless wrapping it tighter around his shivering torso. He had only been out here for a few minutes, Nick had been gone for almost two hours, things were getting desperate.

"Nicholas Dwight Duval!"

Far off in the distance, in a semi-frozen ball, Nick struggled to raise his head. He knew that voice, he heard that voice in his dreams, he fell in love with the boy who belonged to that voice. He tried to turn to the voice, but his body had given up. "Jeff?" Nick called out.

"Nicky!" the voice came again, but from behind him now. Had Jeff walk right passed him? "Jeff, I'm here!" Nick screamed, tears of absolute panic came to his eyes, "Jeffy, help me!"

"Nick, where are you?!" He was getting farther away.

"Jeff, turn around! Don't go! Don't leave me!" Nick's vision was fogging. His head dropped down in exhaustion. His heart slowed, too slow. His head swam. And his world went black.

* * *

><p>Yes, I'm back to torturing my characters. I realize that I apologize for my extended absence with every chapter, but sadly you're going to have to wait a few weeks for the next chapter because I audition for my school's production of <em>Grease<em> this week, so no writing on Tuesday's or Wednesday's or Friday's now.

Sorry!

However there is some good news.

I'm officially on the Tumblr now!

I'll be posting little snippets from up coming chapters there, and my askbox is always open there, so if at anytime you want to motivate me to keep writing, just shoot me a message there or send a review here!

You can find my Tumblr at

.com

(Just remove the brackets!)

I can't thank you guys enough for your kind words and favourites and subscriptions. They put the biggest smile on my face and I love bragging about them to my friends!

Love Always,

~ELC


	13. Chapter 13: Waking Welcome

Chapter 13

Jeff sat on the edge of his bed, tearfully watching Nick's chest rise and sink beneath the blankets that were wrapped tightly around his frozen body. The brunette was barely breathing when Jeff finally found him in the court-yard. He carried Nick piggy-back style back to the dorm building where he pretty stripped every dorm on their floor of their blankets, laid Nick in his bed and turned him into a human burrito. That was almost an hour ago. Some of the colour had returned to Nick's cheeks and he was breathing steadily, but Jeff wasn't going to even think about leaving until Nick woke up. So here he sat, fingers locked and held against his lips, legs pressed together, leaning forward, barely blinking.

Eventually, lunch time came around, the hallway outside the room filled with boys on their break, must of whom were asking where their bedding had gone, when the dorm room's door opened.

"How's he doing?" Trent asked sitting down beside Jeff.

"Better," Jeff sighed, "I've got him under 28 blankets so that'll keep any body heat he lets out."

"Yeah, about that," Trent started, "I talked to some of the guys and they said if you don't give their blankets back by tonight they're reporting you to Dorm Services."

"I'll give them back when Nick wakes up." Jeff said firmly.

"I figured you'd say that," he sighed in defeat, "Hey, why don't you go get something to eat, I'll watch Nick until you get back."

Jeff opened his mouth to decline, but the gurgle that erupted from his stomach shut him up pretty quickly and he left, leaving Trent with a small "Thanks man."

At the quiet click of the door closing, Trent turned back to Nick's comatose body, "Alright listen, bud," he said in a quiet yet stern tone, "I realize you're kinda down for the count right now but I know you can still hear me, so listen up. You have to wake up, okay? Because that boy who just left, he needs you to be here with him. And I need you to be with him, because let's face it; I've pretty much declared myself captain of your little relationship. And I will not, repeat not, allow the two of you to just drift away from each other because you decided to become Snow White...okay, that was a poor choice of words, but the point is still there. Look man, do you realize what Jeff is feeling right now? He's scared to death, don't you get that?"

"I do."

"Well than you better," he stopped dead in his tracks, "Holy shit, you're alive!"

"Holy shit, you should be a doctor." Nick chuckled weakly.

"No time for sarcasm," Trent jumped up from the bed and ran out the door, "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit..." The sound of the Warbler swearing briefly disappeared, then returned again as Trent came back into the room pulling Jeff into the room by his arm.

"Trent what are you doing?" Jeff questioned in exasperation. Trent merely pointed down at Nick, who gave a small nervous smile to the stunned blonde. Jeff stood there shell-shocked for a good minute and a half before he finally breathed out a tiny "Holy shit."

"Holy shit." Trent agreed, patting Jeff on the shoulder and turning to leave the dorm triumphantly. His work here was done.

Jeff let out a breath as he sat down on the bed next to his boyfriend. He reached out and cupped the side of Nick's face, running a thumb over his now-warm cheek. But the loving touch of his hand soon retracted and smacked the side of Nick's head, not hard enough to hurt him, but defiantly enough to feel it. "What in the world were you doing out there, Nick?" Jeff asked, his voice bordering between frightened and furious, "Do you know how scared I was? Do you know how close I was to calling the hospital? What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry," Nick choked, filling with guilt, "I was angry and..."

"About what?" Jeff interrupted, "What possibly could be so bad that you ran out in a blizzard and nearly froze to death?"

"My mom called me this morning, she and Derrick are getting married."

"What?! How could she do that to you?" Jeff's hands balled into fists around handfuls of blanket. Nick pushed against the heavy layers and tried to sit up straight, looking Jeff in the eye. "She doesn't know about any of this, okay? The fighting, the bruising, the... you know...the thing on my shoulder."

"Well then you need to tell her, Nick! Derrick should be walking into prison now down the aisle."

"I can't just tell her that her boyfriend is kicking the crap out of me, she'll never forgive herself."

"But if you don't tell her, then he'll keep kicking the crap out you and you'll never forgive yourself. Neither of you are safe with that bastard around."

"Well, that's the thing..." Nick trembled as his eyes dropped into his hands, "You know that what Derrick is capable of, right? _This,_" he pointed at his shoulder, "is just the beginning. And I'm scared to death of what he's doing to her... so I need to be there to keep an eye out for her."

"Nick, don't tell me you're actually thinking of going to the wedding..."

"No, it's a little bit more than that," Nick stuttered, "Longer, really... I've been thinking.."

"Nicky, out with it."

"I need to leave Dalton."

Jeff recoiled as if Nick had just punched him in the gut, "No, no, no way. You're not going back there."

"I need to Jeff, she could be in really danger."

"Then go to the police! Show her your scar! Call a relative or something to stay with her!" Jeff demanded, getting up from the bed, wondering aroung the dorm and punching the wall in frustration.

"It's not that simple, okay?"

"Yes, it is! That's all it takes." Jeff took in a slow breath and turned back to Nick, sitting back down next to him and looking square in his eyes, "Nick, last time you were went to Ashville, you came back with a chest full of scars. I love you too much to see that happen again. Not to mention that was over a weekend, imagine what he'll do if you go back full time."

When Jeff looked back at Nick, the brunette's face was completely white again. Jeff jumped up and took his hand. "Nick, are you okay? Are you going to pass out again?"

Nick merely shook his head, and his face ironned into a dazed expression, "You said you love me."

"Yeah," Jeff muttered as his face flushed red, "I guess I did."

"Ah." Nick nodded, feeling suddenly like he was standing on the surface of the sun. "Good. Cause I love you too."

* * *

><p>I know. I know. I suck for being away for so long. Please forgive me.<p>

Love Always,

~ELC


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